2015 Personnel (Injury) Report Policy

Transcription

1 2015 Personnel (Injury) Report Policy It is NFL policy that information on all injured players be supplied by clubs to the league office, the opposing team and local media each game week of the regular season and postseason (including for the two Super Bowl teams the week between the Championship Games and the Super Bowl). The information must be credible, accurate, and specific within the guidelines of the policy. All players with significant or noteworthy injuries must be listed on the report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game. This is especially true of key players and those players whose injuries have been covered extensively by the media. This policy is of paramount importance in maintaining the integrity of the game. A player who misses a game due to injury or a player who does not finish a game due to injury must be included on the Injury Report each day of the following week (i.e. for a Sunday game, he must be listed on the practice report on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and the game status report on Friday). If a team has a bye the following week, the player must be listed on the report in the week preceding the team s next game. The intent of the policy is to provide a full and complete rendering of player availability. The information must be reported in a satisfactory manner to all parties, i.e., the opposing team, local and national media, broadcast partners, etc., for dissemination to the public through the news media. Should disputes arise with regards to compliance with this policy, it will be incumbent upon clubs to demonstrate that they have acted in a manner consistent with the intent of the policy. Violations are subject to discipline, which may include a fine imposed on the club, fines and/or suspensions of individuals, as well as the possible forfeiture of a draft choice. Each PR Director is responsible for seeing that all required injury information based on practice participation is reported to the Conference Football Communications Director and issued to the opposing team, local and national media, broadcast partners, etc., via the NFL Intranet site by 4:00 p.m., New York time, or as soon as possible following the completion of practice. Note: if a team is playing an opponent in another time zone, it is not required to report its information until after the completion of the other team s practice. PRACTICE REPORT SCHEDULE Thursday Game Saturday Game Sunday Game Monday Game Monday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Tuesday Thursday Thursday Friday Wednesday Friday Friday Saturday 1

2 Club practice tape will be checked periodically and used to verify the accuracy of these reports if there are any conflicts. In addition, clubs are required to designate on the NFL Intranet site by 4:00 p.m., New York time and issue to the opposing team, local and national media, broadcast partners, etc., the status of those injured players for that week s game as follows: GAME STATUS REPORT SCHEDULE Thursday Game Saturday Game Sunday Game Monday Game Wednesday Friday Friday Saturday It is the PR Director s responsibility to report all changes or additional developments that occur after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day designated for reporting game status. Clubs also must distribute this information each day to their local media. All reports must be made without fail. Injuries must be identified with a reasonable degree of specificity in terms that are meaningful to coaches, other club officials, the media, and the public. For example, leg injuries must be specified as ankle, knee, thigh or calf. Arm injuries must be identified as a shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, or muscle injury. Listing an injury simply as leg, arm, upper body, or some other vague description is not acceptable. For quarterbacks, kickers, and punters, the report must designate left or right if the injury is to the arm/hand of a quarterback or the leg/foot of a kicker or punter. Injuries or other occurrences that take place after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the designated game status reporting day that could impact a player s ability to play in that week s game are to be announced to local media, including The Associated Press, and the televising network of that week s game. In addition, the information is to be relayed to the opposing team s PR Director and to your Conference Football Communications Director or another member of the NFL PR Department as soon as it becomes known. The procedures for reporting injuries are as follows: 1: A list of players who did not participate or fully participate in practice, either due to injury or any other reason, must be submitted to the league office on the designated reporting days no later than 4:00 p.m. New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice): Out WR Joe Smith (knee) Did Not Participate in Practice RB Bill Jones (calf) T Dave Johnson (wrist) 2

3 DE John Jackson (not injury related) CB George Adams (not injury related) Limited Participation in Practice QB Moses Madison (right hand) TE Aaron Monroe (ankle) S Bob Smith (not injury related) Full Participation in Practice G Andrew Pierce (hand) K William Harrison (right ankle) 1. Limited Participation is less than 100 percent of a player s normal repetitions. 2. Full Participation is 100 percent of a player s normal repetitions. 3. Not Injury Related applies to situations in which a player is withheld from his normal repetitions for reasons other than injury. Examples include: resting veteran players, team discipline, jury duty, illness in family, personal matter, etc. In these cases, clubs must explain specifically on its own participation release issued to the media why the player missed or was limited in practice. NOTE: The term normal repetitions applies to a player s participation in both individual drills and the team portion of practice. Consequently, a player who participates in less than 100 percent of his normal repetitions during either the individual or team portion of practice should be listed at Limited Participation. If a player s game status is in question for Not Injury Related reasons, that must appear on the game status report and be explained publicly and included on the release issued to the media. Examples: a) A player who participated in individual drills but does not participate in the team portion of practice should be listed as Limited Participation for that day. b) A player who participates in individual drills but, for medical reasons, does not take his normal repetitions during the team portion of practice and is assigned to the scout team should be listed as Limited Participation for that day. Participation on the scout team, no matter how extensive, by a player whose normal repetitions would be with the starters except for his medical condition, does not change the fact that the proper designation for him that day is Limited Participation. Teams that conduct a walk-through instead of a regular practice are still required to submit a list of injured players in the practice portion of the Injury Report if the walk-through occurs on a normal injury report day. The same requirement holds true for injury report days in which the team has a day off. They should be placed in the practice participation categories based on 3

4 what they would have done in a regular practice, noting that it is an estimation due to the team conducting a walk-through practice that day or having a day off. 2. The game status report must be submitted to the league office no later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the designated reporting days and updated after that day, if applicable: Out Doubtful (definitely will not play) (at least 75 percent chance will not play) Questionable (50-50 chance will not play) Probable (virtual certainty player will be available for normal duty) If a player will not play whether due to injury or non-injury reasons this fact must be reported. Please pay particular attention to key players such as quarterbacks and kickers and remember to use the designation on the NFL Intranet site for left or right if the injury is to a quarterback s arm/hand or a kicker s or punter s leg/foot. The method of receiving and reporting the information requires the following for a Sunday game (see schedule on page 2 for reporting days by game day): Wednesday Submit your personnel (injury) report on the NFL Intranet site no later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice). Use the categories outlined: Out, Did Not Participate in Practice, Limited Participation in Practice and Full Participation in Practice. This report will be released by the NFL office to the media and clubs each Wednesday beginning with the Wednesday preceding the first weekend of the regular season. Each club will issue its own injury report and didnot-practice list to its local media on Wednesday. (Teams whose practice does not conclude by 4:00 p.m., New York time, are to send their report to local media, their opponent s PR Director, and their Conference Football Communications Director as soon as possible after the completion of practice). Thursday Submit your Thursday report on the NFL Intranet site no later than 4:00 p.m., New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice). This must include Thursday s practice participation, including any new injuries. 4

5 This office will distribute the updated report to media and clubs. Clubs will release their information to their local media. (Teams whose practice does not conclude by 4:00 p.m., New York time, are to send their report to local media, their opponent s PR Director, and their Conference Football Communications Director as soon as possible after the completion of practice). Friday Submit your practice and game status reports on the NFL Intranet site no later than 4:00 p.m., New York time. For the game status report, use one of these categories: Out, Doubtful, Questionable, or Probable. Your practice report is due by 4:00 p.m. New York time (or as soon as possible after the completion of practice). These updated reports will be made available to the media, and clubs will release their information to local media. To avoid confusion, clearly separate on Friday the practice participation report and the injury status report for the game when circulating your information to the media. For example, a veteran player who is not injured but has been rested in practice should not be listed with an injury status designation (probable, questionable, doubtful, out). His practice participation, however, needs to be reported as limited (Not Injury Related). Conversely, a player who has missed practice time during the week with an injury should be listed on the status report. If, after the Friday update, there are additional injuries, you are obligated to report those developments to your beat reporters, including The Associated Press, the televising network of your game, the Public Relations department of your opponent that weekend, and your respective Conference Football Communications Director. Players listed on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform, Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness, Reserve/Injured-Designated for Return, and on the Exempt List who have returned to practice but have not been activated to the 53-player roster do not have to appear on the report. For players not already designated as out, clubs are to notify local media, their opponent s PR Director, and their Conference Football Communications Director of any player on their injury report who does not travel to a road game due to injury. Such a player is considered out, thus necessitating this update. In addition, team personnel are responsible for reporting in-game injury information factually and accurately as soon as possible for the benefit of the network television audience and the other media covering our games. To ensure fans in the stadium have access to the same information, these injury updates must also be posted on the stadium video boards, scoreboards or ribbon boards. The in-game injury updates must be disseminated simultaneously to all parties the network television broadcaster, the media in the press box, and the fans instadium. 5

6 As endorsed by the Competition Committee in March of 2013, in-game injury announcements to the media must be specific to a body part, accurate, and updated as warranted, including any changes to the player s status for the rest of the game if it changes from the initial report. In situations where players have been involved in major collisions in which a concussion is possible, there will be an announcement in the press box that the player is being evaluated for an injury and you will provide a further update as soon as practical. A player who suffers a concussion in a game will not be made available to the media in the locker room or in a post-game press conference. The concussion-related medical exemption from media obligations extends to the practice week until the player is cleared to resume activity, i.e. running, lifting, attending meetings, etc. The player does not have to be cleared to practice to be made available to media. It is the club PR Director s responsibility to obtain and disseminate accurate injury information. It is the responsibility of the clubs to review unusual situations with their contact in the league office s Public Relations department to determine if a player should be included on the Injury Report. When in doubt, it is best to include a player on the report. If a player listed as probable does not play, it raises serious questions about the integrity of the injury report. If this situation occurs, clubs will be required to submit a written explanation to the league office within 48 hours. Remember that you are obligated to update a player s status (to the league office, your opponent, the televising network, and your local media) if there is any change after Friday (for a Sunday game). The weekly personnel/injury reports have been a cornerstone of the public s confidence in the NFL for many decades. The credibility of the NFL, our teams, owners, and team personnel requires full compliance with these policies, which will be strictly enforced. Practice tapes will be reviewed periodically and violations will be subject to disciplinary action. 6